Friction-clutch.



J. F. ,DURYEA.

FRICTION CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED DEO.12, 1904.

PATENTED JUNE 5, 1906.

UNITED sra rn s PATENT JAMES FRANK DURYEA, OF SPRlNGFlELD, ltiASSACH-JSETTS. v

FRiCTHQN GLUTCi-"L Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 3.905.

Application filed December 12,1904. Serial No. 236.501-

This invention relates to friction-clutches,

and has special reference to clutches of that type which comprise aseries of concentrically-disposed rings on the driving and the drivenmembers of the clutch, the peripheries of which overlap and which arepressed together to provide the requisite frictional contact, theobjectof the invention being to provide an improved clutch embodyingthis principle of construction whereby the clutch may occupy as small aspace as is consistent with the work it has to perform.

, A further object of the invention is to so construct the clutch thatit may be easily and quickly taken apart and whereby aneasily-accessible adjusting device may be provided for theclutch-operating spring, the construction being so arranged that theadjustment of one member only is required to increase or diminish thefrictional contact be tween the contact parts.

Having these ends in view, theinvention consists in the constructiondescribed in the following specification and carefully 'sum marized inthe claims, said construction being illustrated in the-drawingsaccompanying this application, in which' Figure 1 is a longitudinalsectional view of a clutch embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is an endelevation of the same as viewed from the right-hand side of Fig. 1.

The clutch which forms the subject-matter of this application isdesigned especially for use on self-propelled vehicles, in which it isdesirable and often necessary to utilize all of the machinery space tothe greatest ossible advantage, and this clutch has been esigned withspecial reference to its use on these vehicles. In this connection itshould be stated that there are two types of this kind of clutch, one ofwhich is intended to be run dry and the other of which is designed to berun in oil, the clutch forming the subjectmatter of this applicationbein of that kind designed to run drythat is, LO have nonlubricatedcontact-surfaces.

In the drawings,- (1 indicates the end of the crank-shaft or some likedriving-shaft of a erably integral.

motor, and b the end of a driven shaft. On the end of the shaft ais aframe consisting of the hub c, keyed on the shaft and having a number ofradially-disposed arms (1 extending therefrom, said hub and arms beingpref In the drawings the constructi on is shown as embodying three ofthe arms d set at equal distancesapart on the hub, this number of armshaving been found to provide the necessary rigidity; but their numbermay be increased, if'desired, or a disk may be employed instead of thearms, though this adds unnecessary weight. iP'referably in fixing thehub c on the end of the crank-shaft a the two parts are tapered andkeyed, and after the-hub has been so fitted to the shaft a nut e isscrewed onto the end of the latter against the hub to insure, as far aspossible, an immovable connection between said hub and the shaft. IBeyond the nut e the shaft a is extended, as shown at f, to provide abearing for the inner end of a second clutch-frame consisting of thearms g and the long hub h, the outer end of which is squared off, as aty', to enter the squared socket 7c in the end of the driven shaft 1).Over the end f of the shaft (1 is fitted a bushing m, havin a flangedhead thereon, which may take tiefthrust of the hub. 72., which is partlysupported on the contiguous ends of the driving and driven shafts.

The frame, consisting of the hub e and the arms (1, may be referred tofor the sake of conciseness as aff driving clutch-head and theframeeomprising the hub h and the arms 9 as the driven clutch-head. Atthe extremities of the arms d, which are integral with the hub c, thepins 0 are mounted one in the end of each arm to' render them rigid,passing through bosses p cast integral with the arms and are securedtherein in any convenient manner; but preferably they are provided withflanges q to bear against the end of the boss, and a nut r is threadedonto the end of the pin which extends through the arm. It is understoodthat these pins, are parallel with the axis of thecrankehaft" andequidistant therefrom. In the ends of'the arms g of the drivenclutch-head similar pins 8 are mounted in the same way as the pins 0 aresecured in the arms d, space, however, not permittin the provision of aslong a bearing for the en of the pin as in the arms cl. These pins 8 arelikewise parallel with the axis of the shaft a. Over these pins 8 thereis fitted abasering or abutment-ring t, and alternately on and w arearrange t e rings v being 'on the pins 0, the rings altern ting, asshown in Fig. 1 of the drawmgs. These rings v-and w are of sheet metal,having holes punched therein to fit their respective pins loosely,whereby they may move more or less on the latter endthe pins and theif}; s the friction-rings 1) Wise. This clutch being of the typeintended to run dry, one set of these" rings is provided on each sidethereof "with leat er facin s :20.

In this instance these facings have been shown as'applied to the ringsv.

oosely mounted on the hub h is another hub 3, having an annular flange 4cast thereouter surface of said nut constituting a bearing for the outerend of said hub 3. On the outer end of the hub 3 is a flange in which isturned an annular groove to receive the loose rin 8. This is providedwith trunnions 9, to

' which the ends of a semicircular fork are connected, which fork isarranged to swin in bearings 12 and 13, which are represente in.

the drawingsmerely in a conventional way, said fork being provided withtrunnions '14 and 15, extending into these bearings, and on one ofthese, as on the trunnion 15, (see Fig. 2,.) a lever 16 is secured,whereby the fork may be oscillated in its bearings and sliding movementthereby be communicated to the hub 3 through the ring 8, mounted asdescribed in the annular groove in the end of the hub 3, and it is thefunction of said lever to com- 1press the spring 6 to relieve therings 1) and w om frictional contact with one another, and

thus break the connection between the driving and driven shafts. If allpressure on the lever 16 is removed, the expansion of the spring 6 willmove the hub 3 forward, and t us compress the rin s v betweenthe ringsto, and the ring t and t e arms 9 of the driven clutch-head taking allof the end thrust of said spring, the rings '0 being loose on their pins0.

The above described construction sets forth clearly the means ofconnection be tween the driving and the driven shafts, and it isapparent that it is only necessary to separate t e driven shaft from thesquared-endj of the hub h to permit the withdrawal of this hub and allof the parts supported thereon,

thus making the dismounting of the clutch for purposes of re air andinspectionamatter of easy accomplishment. The spring 6 is adjusted bythe manipulation of the pinch-nut 7, so that the maximum effort of theclutch may be adjusted to be just equal to the load it hasto transmitfrom the shaft a to the seams shaftt, and to effect this adjustment itis very desirable, especially when the clutch forms part of themechanism of a self-progelled vehicle, that this adjustment should eeasily made and that one adjustment alone should be required, and tothis end the pinch-nut is so located that it may be readily manipulatedto increase or decrease thetension of the sprin 6. With the clutch thusadjusted to the load it is immaterial how quickly the clutch be thrownonto its full power, even with the shaft a running at its maximum speed,for as the clutch is only equal to the torque of said shaft when thelatter has picked up its load it will of course slip when the loadexceeds this point, picking up its load gradually as the momentum of theshaft a is overcome, and the driven shaft will thus start without ajump, even though the clutch is thrown in suddenly.

practically nesting the driving clutchomy of space results, not onlybecause of the compactness of the mechanism itself on account of thisnested disposition of the parts, but because of the fact that itrequires only the separation of the squared end y' of the hub h from thesocket in the end of the driven shaft 6 to separate the driven and thedriving clutch-heads; The hub-h is cored out to provide a cavity 17therein, which not only serves to lighten the structure, but also constitutes an oil-chamber to lubricate the bearing of the hub h on thebushingm and of the latter on the extension f of the shaft a. Oil may beintroduced into this cavity through an axially-located hole 18, (shownin dotted lines in the drawings,) which is intercepted by another hole19, extending through the squared side of the hub h. If thisclutchmechanism were located-in the tubular base of an engine, thenthebearings 12 and 13 would be formed in the opposite walls of saidbase. Any suitable device may be rovided to lock the lever 16 in aposition w "ch will hold the driving and driven clutch-heads out ofoperative contact one with the other. No such means, however, have beenshown in the drawings, nor need an be shown, for a notched plate or somesimi ar device may be used for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby LettersPatent' of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a driving and a driven shaft, of afriction-clutch mechanism consisting of a frame secured on thedrivingshaft, and a second frame comprising a long hub having a bearingon the driving shaft and a driving connection with the driven shaft;pins on said frames parallel with the axis of the shaft and extending inthe same direction; said second frame being nested within the areacircumscribed by the pins of the other; friction-rings supported looselyon the I B I head and the driven clutch-head great econ-- iio move theange thereon against the 'r'ctionrings, there being an abutment on saidsecond hub for said rings; an adjusting device on the hub of the secondframe constituting an adjustable abutment for said spring, and a leverconnected with said slidinghub to move the latter awa from said rings.

2. The com ination with a driving and a driven shaft, of a drivenclutch-head comprising a long hub haviifga bearin at one end thereof onthe driving-shaft, an having a connection at the opposite end thereofwith the driven shaft, a flange or arms on said hub at right anglesthereto, pins supported in said flange or arms in parallelism with theaxis of the hub, friction-rings fitted loosely on said pins, said flangeor arms constitutmg an abutment for the rings; a sliding hub rovidedwith a flange or arms through whic said pins pass loosely,'a spring tomove said sliding hub to effect the compression of the rings between theflange or arms thereon and the flange or arms on said hub a drivinclutch-head secured on the driving-shaft an comprising aflange or arms,and pins fixed therein in parallelism with the axis of said huband'extending in the same direction as the pins on the latter,friction-rings loosely mounted on the pins of the driving clutchhead andalternately arranged in overla ping relation relative to the rings onthe clutch-head; an adjusting device on the hub riven of the drivenclutch-head constituting an abutment for said spring, and a leveroperatively' connected with the sliding hub to move the latter tocompress said spring.

3. In a device of'the class described, the combination of adriving-shaft and a driven shaft, a sleeve on said driven shaft andhaving arms integral therewith, a frame rigidly secured to thedriving-shaft and carrying supporting-pins at the outer ends of the armsthereof, a second frame having a long hub loosely mounted on said sleevecarried by the driven shaft, said second frame having pins secured inthe outer ends of the arms thereof, a hub 3 loosely mounted on thesecond frame and carrying an outwardly-extending flange havingperforations therein, a series of friction-disks loosely mounted on theins of the two sets of frames, a spring oosely mounted between the saidhub 3 and said second frame, said spring normally exerting a tension soas to compress the said frictiondisks to transmit motion from thedriving to the driven shaft, and means including a pinch-nut foradjusting the tension of said spring, said pinch-nut being mounted onthe said second frame, said second rame being formed with a hollow orcut-out portion adjacent the threaded end thereof on which the pinch-nutis located, and means comprising a foot-lever loosely mounted instationary bearings for, releasing the tension of said spring andallowing the disks to revolve freely one on the other.

JAMES FRANK DURYEAi Witnesses:

K. I. OLEMoNs, WM. H. CHAPIN.

